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Thursday, July 6, 2017

Time For Tea And Treachery

Yeah, my title was randomly chosen for this weeks terribleminds challenge so I used it. I have added to an old Yggdrasil story.

Time For Tea And TreacheryThe week passed by slowly since Yggdrasil challenged Nanna to a tea biscuit duel. Nanna, obviously bragging, brought out her dress during a tea hosted by the three Fates. It was the same design and cloth as Yggdrasil’s dress that she’d kept a secret. The Fates conclude that it's Nanna’s destiny to wear the gown to the Höðr ball. Yggdrasil irritated, takes a deep breath and extinguishes the fireball she wanted to throw at the copied dress. Before an argument ensues, Yggdrasil challenges Nanna to a duel.

~

"Aiger, is my parasol complete? The tea duel is tomorrow and I should practice with it," says Yggdrasil.

"It's the fifteen minutes. The workings are precise up to nine minutes though they work best at three. Every time I push the mechanism to eleven or above there is a noticeable shimmering and a golden red leaf ..."

"Yes, yes enough with your nonsense. Nine minutes is plenty and perhaps three minutes," her voice quiets for this last bit, "for tea biscuit duel disintegration."

He peers over his multi-lensed goggles. "You know the significance of a red leaf, of course. This is something, I believe, that needs to be reported to the Council of Time Manipulations and studied further. I cannot let this item be in use by anyone who has not gone through the proper time manipulation training. Even your request for an altered parasol should have been..."

"Yes, yes, you discussed at length all the regulations when I brought the parasol to be changed," she air quotes around the word changed. "Do I need to remind you about our agreement." She places a gold coin in the brass dish.

"Your patronage is welcome, Yggdrasil." He straightens from his typical working hunch and points to a lever. "It is a simple gadget and by setting this lever that has fifteen positions. Please, I beg you, don't set it beyond nine minutes."

"Noted."

"Then, push the stone at the base of the handle. As requested, the user of the parasol is not affected. Time will stop for everyone and everything for a fifty-foot radius. I must also say..."

Yggdrasil grabs the object, walks out of the workshop admiring the Petra stone her grandfather gave her. She sighs happily not to hear the contraption master issue any more warnings and not wanting to give him time to change his mind.

The next day-The crowd holds its breath as Yggdrasil cleanly eats her biscuit seconds after Nanna. The Tiffin Master says, “Yggdrasil’s won. She’ll wear the blue gown to Höðr ball.”The crowd hesitates in their applause. Nanna, a five-year champion of Aphrodite's Annual Tea Duel competitions, lost. The goddesses sitting on Yggdrasil’s side applaud.The hall’s doors open with a crash and a man, with a perfectly tied cravat, enters. “Yggdrasil cheated. Her parasol contains a time-turning contraption!”“How dare you…” begins Yggdrasil, placing her thumb on the Petra stone on her parasol.“Stop her,” yells a woman. The Tiffen Master reacts too slowly. Yggdrasil presses the stone. The scene reverses.She wobbles the biscuit in her hand. It splashes on her cup and the table. The door opens, the well-dress man says, “Yggdrasil cheated…”The Tiffen Master says, “Yggdrasil lost horribly.”Yggdrasil points her parasol at the man’s cravat and says, “And, I’m stuck wearing yellow.” She storms from the hall, smiles, and hatches another plan to thwart Nanna.